Part Slice, Part Therapy #SOLC18

Part Slice, Part Therapy #SOLC18

Today was a bad day. I don’t have these often. As a matter of fact, I have not had a bad day like this in a really long time. I consider myself lucky in that I am usually listening to colleagues sharing about their lousy day. It feels like a full moon kind of day. Just off.

It started off fine, but Math Workshop, which was first, didn’t go well. Kids weren’t listening, they weren’t following directions, they were fooling around. This isn’t them and it isn’t us. I could feel myself getting more and more frustrated as the hour went on. I don’t raise my voice often in class, but I sure did today. I roamed from center to center in disbelief. How could things go so wrong? Was it me? Was it them? Was it everything? Could I make it through four full rotations?

Snack and Recess couldn’t come fast enough!

Literacy workshop was better, more productive.

Recess and Lunch came quickly. Hooray!

Could we make it through Stamina Reading for our usual 15 minutes? Not bad.

Onto Writer’s Workshop, my happy place. This will be better. THIS IS NOT BETTER! Why so much talking? Why are kids getting out of their seats so much? Why are kids asking for help when they haven’t even tried by themselves!

ENOUGH! I’ve got to do something! “Alright, everyone! We are going to try some stamina writing, just like stamina reading. For ten minutes, everyone will write. Teachers, too. No help until the chimes sound.

So, here I sit during ten minutes of stamina writing. This is their time to spread their wings. This is my time to retreat to that happiest of places and just write.

Breathe.

I’m feeling better already.

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This post is part of the annual month-long Slice of Life writing challenge organized by Two Writing Teachers. Join us! It’s my second year of Slicing in the challenge. (If you want to take a peek at the Padlet of writing ideas I’ve created, I’m happy to share. Click here! It grows every day.)

I have tears filling my eyes, because this was my day (except that math was in the afternoon, so that’s how my day ended). It is so nice to hear that I’m not the only one. This part: “I don’t raise my voice often in class, but I sure did today. I roamed from center to center in disbelief. How could things go so wrong? Was it me? Was it them? Was it everything?” so captures how I was feeling. Thank you so much for sharing.

My mother gave me a motto for that kind of a day: “This too shall pass.” My stamina writing rules were “No walking. No talking.” That makes questions out of the question. Have a great day tomorrow. The full moon won’t be here until the 31st. 🙂

It is days like these that make us really appreciate the good days. If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t know how awesome our students usually do. Spring break will be here soon. Hang in there and keep your notebook close.

Oh my…I remember those days. And…I used to love independent writing time because I would write too. It was the only way I could get the kids to write without asking me questions. And then we always had a share time directly after writing. I always had a special comfy “Author’s Chair” in which the author would sit to share what they wrote. 🙂 At least you know this was a rare day and there are many more great ones to come.